The present invention relates to paper folders and in particular to a compact device for folding paper sheets singly or as a group.
Much clerical labor is spent folding letters before inserting them into envelopes. Often the volume of letters is large enough to make folding time consuming but not so large as to justify devoting office space to bulky and expensive folding machines.
Known mechanical devices have included a doubly hinged panel onto which a paper sheet is placed By manually folding the panel twice, the letter itself is folded. This type of device does not save much labor, since the operator must still manipulate the hinged panels of the folder. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 514,013 and 747,085.
High volume folding machines can include rollers for directing the incoming paper along various paths For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,029 the apparatus flexes and then folds the paper by means of rollers. While this apparatus is very efficient it is relatively complicated and occupies much space. This complicated and bulky machine is ideal for high volume, but disadvantageous for personal use by a secretary who has a modest number of letters to stuff in an envelope.
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 514,013; 702,085; 747,085; 797,864; 3,700,230; 3,717,366; 3,753,558; 4,421,500; 4,502,711; 4,636,192; 4,647,029; 4,571,237.
Accordingly there is a need for a simple device for folding letters, which is not overly complicated and does not occupy a large volume of space at the desk of a user.